This invention relates to a small toy pyrotechnic noisemaker which is safe to use and handle.
There are small noisemaking devices commonly called snappers known in the fireworks and toy trades today. In the current state of the art, the toy noisemakers consist of teardrop-shaped devices approximately one inch long by a quarter-inch diameter at the larger end. Snappers of this type are composed of a small charge of coarse gravel impregnated with minute quantities of impact-sensitive explosive. The explosive gravel is tightly wrapped in a twist-sealed piece of strong tissue paper. When dropped, thrown or crushed, the snappers explode, bursting the tissue wrapper, scattering the gravel charge with some force, and producing a sharp report.
This scattering of gravel constitutes a hazard to the eyes, particularly when the device is used by children.
In addition to the question of safety in use, there are other problems in producing a pyrotechnic noisemaker that are common to many explosive materials; namely, the inherent impulse forces and the potential to cause damage increase substantially when large quantities are packed together for storage or shipment.
Further, there are production problems associated with producing such noisemakers: that of insuring adequate quality control of the explosive content as is required for the maintenance of safety standards, that of making it inexpensively suitable for an expendable toy product.